.
~~E~~
A Chance Encounter
Elsa 1
~E~
As soon as it happened, Elsa realized her faux pas and did her best to reign in her laughter. She managed it, and after a final giggle at the absurdity of the situation, brought herself under control. The brown haired rider had stopped scolding his dragon and instead looked at her, a smile playing on his own lips.
He stood up straighter, and he was nearly a head taller than Elsa herself. He shuffled the helmet held under his arm to a better grip, and Elsa's eyes were drawn to it. She almost flinched when her gaze landed on the featureless mask, her mind's eye flashing back to the incoming fireballs, or the arrow barely frozen inches away from her head.
No, she could not afford to let her guard down, even if the rider did not seem hostile any longer. Nevertheless, she was a Queen, and she would act like one.
As she schooled her features, so did the rider, and they were both back to assessing each other.
"You have my official apologies, Chief Haddock, for this unprovoked attack on your person." She began, keeping her voice level and steady. She saw the rider frown, but he didn't interrupt her.
"It was a misunderstanding that was completely our fault, and I apologize once again for it. We have shown you are our worst, let us show you our best. Please accept my invitation to the capital of my kingdom, and to my own castle, where we may repay you this disservice."
The dragon rider's brow furrowed even further, and his back straightened from its casual leaning. When he spoke, his own voice carried an air of authority that Elsa recognized from her own 'Queen speech'.
"I accept your apologies, but I am afraid I must decline your invitation."
"If you are in a hurry of course we will understand, but please consider-"
"I am not in a hurry." Haddock cut her off, and Elsa closed her mouth, trying to keep her temper from flaring. The only one who interrupted her and got away with it was her sister, and this man was not her sister. "I am not expected back for several weeks yet."
"Then, what seems to be the problem?"
"With all due respect Queen Elsa, I'm not sure I want any more of your hospitality." He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm at the end. Elsa grit her teeth, and closed her eyes for a second to compose herself further. Her cheeks reddened from both shame and anger. Anger because he just insulted her, her integrity, and her kingdom, and shame because, for all he knew and for all she had shown so far, he was right. She had to find some way to convince him. Even if he had no desire to come, she had to make it up to him somehow.
"You have my word as Queen that no harm will befall you or the dragon while you are my guests and conform to a few basic rules. In fact, I insist. My honor compels me to compensate you for this unwarranted attack. Please allow me to do so and not return to my castle in shame. As one leader to another, Chief Haddock." She ended with a plea, something she was unfamiliar with, but with her honor at stake, her pride could take a step back.
Haddock rubbed his eyes, and didn't reply for a few seconds, thinking it over. Eventually, he looked her in the eyes again. Elsa was mildly annoyed to note that he had to look down to do so.
"My own honor as chief compels me to not spurn your heartfelt invitation. Very well, I will take your word that we will come to no harm." His eyes pierced her own, and Elsa was acutely aware that he had spared her life not five minutes ago. No, she would not go back on her word.
"However," Chief Haddock said, "Unless you plan on giving me a clan name to call you by, I insist that you call me Hiccup."
"Very well, Chief Hiccup." The way his eye twitched at her skilled evasion brought a smile to her face.
"Fair enough, Queen Elsa." He replied, stressing her title. Unlike him, however, Elsa was not bothered by it.
"The castle is no more than a few days' travel from here. Would you accompany me and my entourage?" A pointless question, both knew. Hiccup had already agreed to come, and the only way to do that was with them, but they both played along with the formalities.
"Of course, Queen Elsa."
With a nod, Elsa turned towards the black beast, who was still watching her every move, expression screaming distrust.
"There is also the matter of the .. dragon." She said slowly, fairly certain that the dragon would not pounce on her when its rider was talking to her, but not liking to take risks.
"What about him?" Chief Hiccup asked, frowning at her.
"I understand that you are close, but I will have to ask you to part, at least for a little while."
The dragon growled and took a half step forward, crouching. Elsa took a fearful step back, and Hiccup shook his head. "Out of the question," he said. "Toothless goes where I go. We're a package deal."
Elsa looked from the dragon to the rider, trying to work it out in her head. Suddenly, she had an idea. Yes, this would work.
"I'm afraid there is no other choice. Our mounts will flee the moment they see ... Toothless," she forced herself to say the name, having trouble associating the terrifying black dragon with anything as harmless as the name implied. "And without them, we will take weeks to get back, not to mention their worth."
She saw chief Hiccup process this, and hoped that she didn't just force him to rethink coming. Honestly, the horses were not the reason she didn't want the dragon anywhere near her, but it was a good enough reason that Haddock should accept.
Judging by the disappointed look in his face, she was not hiding her intentions as well as she thought. Despite this, chief Hiccup let out a sigh, and said "Alright."
With this, he turned to his dragon, and took a few steps forward, reaching him. Elsa resisted the illogical urge to take hold of his arm and yank him back, away from the beast. He obviously trusted the creature with his life. She knew that if there was anyone the dragon would never hurt, that was his rider.
Chief Hiccup placed his hand on the dragon's snout, and rubbed him gently.
"Toothless." He started, his voice gentle and apologetic. The beast let out an angry snort and pounded his paws on the ground, eyes narrowed and glaring directly at her. Elsa was paralyzed, but Hiccup was holding the dragon back, and even if it pounced, she should be able to freeze him before it got to her.
"Stop that," Hiccup admonished the dragon. "You know she's right." Toothless' eyes snapped to Hiccup, and he let out an irritated warble that, while angry, did not have the tone of rage and denial of his previous outburst.
"Yes, I know we could just leave, but I was invited. What kind of chief would I be if I refused an official invitation from a foreign Queen?"
This was too bizarre for Elsa, but at the same time, so extraordinary that she couldn't look away. He was having a conversation, an honest to god conversation, with the beast!
The dragon's expression softened, and his eyes were downcast. He let out a pitiful whine from the back of his throat.
"Oh come on. Don't pout, you big baby. What will the Queen think?" Apparently Toothless didn't care what Elsa thought of him, for he continued his pouting and whining. "Fine, I'll buy you a full basket of fish as soon as I can, okay?"
Toothless seemed to consider this, and finally let out two short barks. "Okay," Hiccup said, resigned. "Three baskets. Alright?"
Even Elsa understood the dragon's grunt as grudging acceptance, and Hiccup patted the dragon's head murmuring soft words to him.
"Toothless, you know what we must do now." The black dragon stared at him in what Elsa recognized as confusion, and then his eyes widened, and he shook his head frantically. Hiccup reached with both hands, and pacified the beast.
"I know how much you hate it bud, and trust me I don't want it either. But you know this is the only way. And it's only for a little while. We'll stop often, don't worry."
Toothless resigned himself to his fate and hung his head, letting out a pitiful warble. Elsa nearly, nearly, felt sorry for the terrible beast.
Chief Hiccup moved, going around the dragon and working on the harness. Elsa watched with undisguised interest as he unlatched, untied, and finally removed the saddle, stirrups, and finally the red tailfin at the end of the dragon's tail. Elsa realized what that flash of red that she'd seen earlier was, the dragon had an artificial tailfin!
With the same economy of movement, Hiccup removed the tailfin from the rest of the harness, and repositioned the saddle and stirrups to their earlier position on the dragon's hide. From a saddlebag he retrieved a long piece of folded black leather, that had a mechanism on one end.
Elsa didn't see it clearly, and had no idea what it was, but chief Hiccup moved to the end of the dragon's tail, and there placed the contraption, strapping it where the red artificial tailfin had been. Now Elsa realized that this was another artificial tailfin, though she had no idea what the difference between the red and the black one was.
As soon as he was done, Hiccup rose to his feet and urged the dragon to try it out. Toothless looked at his tail, and moved his remaining natural tailfin. The mechanism apparently worked, for the artificial one moved in tandem. Elsa was as surprised at the incredible feet of engineering as she was at the dragon's snarl of disgust, but didn't say anything, knowing that she was missing most pieces of the puzzle, and that it was too early to form an opinion on anything.
Hiccup returned to the saddlebags, and removed another folded contraption. This one was was mostly wooden with some metallic pieces on it, and the Viking Chief unfolded it and, raising his left foot with the prosthetic, fitted it around the metallic appendage. The contraption clicked into place with a soft pop, and the viking was satisfied. When he next placed his foot on the ground, it did not sink as it had earlier, but held to the same level as his booted foot did.
"Go now, bud. Find something to eat, would you? I'll see you when we make camp." Chief Haddock told to the black dragon, and it warbled something in reply, pushing its snout on his chest, before taking a few steps back, crouching, and taking off.
Elsa watched the dragon fly away, higher and higher, aware that she was now alone with Hiccup. She saw the dragon make long circles at cloud level, above their general area of the forest, but it was getting very far away now.
Suddenly remembering her soldiers, she called out towards the woods for them to come out. The quiet of the mountain side carried her words, and she didn't have to yell herself hoarse. Her people started coming out of the woods and approaching them, hurried.
Despite her reassurances, and his own declared belief in her word, she saw chief Hiccup stiffen as he caught sight of the approaching soldiers, and lay a hand on the pommel of his sword.
She was about to say something, but he beat her to it, and his tone was neutral, guarded. "You should know that between me and Toothless, I am the levelheaded one. He does not share my aversion to needless killing. Should anything happen to me, there will be nothing capable of holding him back." Which Elsa translated inwardly to 'Unless you want to die a fiery painful death, you'd better not kill me.'
"Your concern is understandable, Chief Hiccup, but unnecessary." Elsa reassured him as the soldiers reached them, her captain coming to a stop in front of her.
The captain looked between his Queen and the strange man in confusion, having half a mind to point his sword at him and demand an explanation, but held back by his Queen's apparent ease next to him.
When in doubt, defer to the Queen, he always said.
"My Queen?"
"This is Chief Hiccup Haddock, of the Vikings of Berk." Elsa declared. If Hiccup was impressed by her memory, he did not show it in any way. Elsa continued. "He and the dragon Toothless are not enemies. In fact, from here on out, they are my guests, and will be treated as such."
The captain's confusion multiplied, and his head snapped between the strange man, his queen, and the black spot on the sky. Murmuring broke among the soldiers, but none dared speak out.
"As you command, my Queen." Then, turning to Hiccup, he bowed once again. "My lord." He addressed him. Elsa saw, to her amusement, Hiccup stiffen, but not in aggression. If she had to guess, she'd go with embarrassment.
"At ease, please. Hiccup or Chief Haddock will do." He told the gathered guards. The captain looked uncertain. This was not in the protocol he knew.
"... my lord?"
Elsa decided to give the two men a break before the mountain decided to swallow them and save the world from everlasting awkwardness.
"Captain, gather the men and the horses. We ride for Arendelle." Arendelle, besides the name of the entire kingdom, was the name of the capital city as well. The city where her family's castle lay for generations.
"Yes my Queen." The captain said, relief evident in his voice.
Soon, everyone was gathered. The horses had been brought back from their hiding place, and everyone was climbing onto their saddles.
Which presented a new problem.
"And what about chief Haddock, your Highness?" One of her soldiers asked Elsa, once she was safely astride her white horse.
What about him? He doesn't have a horse, and his mount can't exactly walk next to the horses.
She could have him ride with one of her soldiers, but that could be seen as demeaning for someone of his status.
She turned to her Captain. "Show him to your horse, Captain," she made known her decision.
"Right away, my Queen."
Chief Hiccup himself was frowning at her. She saw his gaze wash over her, and the Captain was obediently going to bring his horse over. At least his contemplative eyes on her did not make her feel sick, like so many others had over the years.
She was broken out of her thoughts when chief Hiccup pointed to a spot behind her, and asked, "What about those?"
Elsa looked where he was pointing, and saw a group of five horses, loaded with supplies for the journey. She frowned as she looked back at the viking chief.
"Those are supply horses. Little better than mules." She had never met a nobleman that would deign to ride a supply horse.
"They'll do. I'd rather not unseat anyone. Can you distribute the weight off of one of them?" He asked.
What? He wanted to ride a supply horse? He preferred riding a supply horse on the back than riding with Elsa on the front? Of course, Elsa had no specific wish to share breathing space with her would-be killer, but still, it's the principle of the matter.
Letting none of her simmering anger show, she nodded curtly, and motioned for her men to take care of it. Soon, one of the horses had been cleared of its load, fitted with a spare saddle, and led to them. Chief Hiccup looked at the horse for a few seconds, and then awkwardly climbed on the saddle, settling carefully.
"You don't have much experience with horses, do you?" She asked, hoping it didn't come out condescending or insulting. It mustn't have, for he only shook his head.
"Not many horses where I come from."
Elsa spurred her horse forward, and the procession began, with her and chief Hiccup on the front. He was doing a decent job of controlling the horse, for someone apparently novice at it. How different is it riding to a dragon? Elsa wanted to ask, but decided against it.
"Are you not cold, Chief Hiccup?" She asked him, noting that his leather outfit can't be that fat or insulated. His head whipped to her, and he looked at her with a completely surprised expression for a second. Then, he burst into deep, rumbling laughter.
'What did I say?' Elsa wondered, watching him laugh. The sound was pleasant, and sent a tingle down her spine, but the fact that he was laughing at her was testing her carefully controlled temper. Soon, Hiccup got himself under control, and wiped a couple of tears from his eyes. Surely what I said wasn't this funny? Elsa bristled.
"Apologies, Queen Elsa, you mustn't judge me for laughing." He said once he completely calmed down. Elsa raised an eyebrow at him. "It's just, no one asks if we're bothered by the cold, back home."
"Is it not cold there?" Elsa asked him. She'd thought that the Viking areas were up north, and theoretically it should be very cold there.
"Quite the contrary." Hiccup replied cheerily. "It's freezing. It snows nine months of the year, and hails the other three."
"But then, why?"
"I laughed because up there, dealing with the cold is the first thing we learn as children. Personally, the cold never bothered me. When I was younger, it wouldn't be surprising to see me running around in a sleeveless tunic, causing havoc." Chief Hiccup said, his tone wistful, and a faraway look in his eyes.
Elsa's mind shut down midway through his reply, and a rush of heat rose up to her cheeks. 'The cold never bothered me anyway' rang through her mind. If Chief Hiccup noticed her reddening cheeks, he didn't say anything. He kept on speaking, and it took Elsa a few seconds to focus back into what he was saying.
"... not to say that we don't get sick if we're not careful, you understand."
Elsa coughed, and, before she embarrassed herself any further, changed the topic. "Tell me more about your provinces, if you would, Chief Hiccup." She asked as they moved forwards Hiccup looked up from his horse to gaze at her.
"Berk?" he asked her, and she nodded.
"What is there to say about Berk?" He asked rhetorically, in the tone of someone gathering his thoughts. "Berk is the name of our main village, which is in an island, far to the north. Technically, our territory covers several islands around the island of Berk. It's full of jutting mountain peaks, steep cliffs, granite formations, and rocky hills. I'm not sure what else to tell you, actually, I guess you have to see it to feel it."
"I ... see." And even though what he told amounted to almost nothing, Elsa could, sort of, see. Freezing environment always appealed to her. She was at home in her castle, certainly, but she'd been equally at home at the top of the north mountain. She did have to give it to him though. A satisfying reply that gave away nothing that could be used against them.
"You must forgive my curiosity," she told him politely, "but we of Arendelle have not seen dragons for centuries. Are they a common occurrence in your lands?"
She watched his face like a hawk, and she was not unrewarded for her vigil. He went completely still in his saddle for a second, before he schooled his features in a mask of carefully cultivated neutrality.
"Is ice magic a common occurrence in yours?" He shot back.
"As far as I know, I am the only one." She replied honestly, taking hidden delight at his surprised expression. He didn't think that she would reply so easily, but Elsa knew that he would know anyway as soon as they reached Arendelle. Her nature was no secret to the populace. She didn't know if Chief Hiccup believed her, but he nevertheless rose to the challenge.
"Toothless is a Night Fury," he informed her, though his tone was guarded and carefully collected. Elsa found the name to be quite ... accurate. "and as far as I know, there is no other Night Fury in all the lands I had traveled in."
So he must be the only dragon rider, Elsa thought. Which made him equally as unique as she was to Arendelle. She wasn't sure what to think of that. He was the leader of his people, and from what little she knew, could relate with her on some respects. And then there was ... no!
She shook her head, to chase away those thoughts. She could still feel the sting of his knife on her throat, the harshness on his voice as he threatened to kill her. The sight of his steel arrow, inches away from piercing her brain. No, she should always keep her guard up, and her magic in preparation.
Although, he had spared her.
She should wait until they reach Arendelle before she makes any sort of judgement, she decided. Until then, she would watch this Chief Hiccup, and glean as much information as she could. It was not completely out of the realm of possibility that this was a ploy, to spy on the inner workings of her kingdom.
"Can I ask you a personal question, Chief Hiccup?"
"You may. I cannot guarantee a reply." Elsa tipped her head ever so slightly in acceptance.
"What happened to your leg, if you don't mind me asking?"
Chief Hiccup looked at said prosthetic, looking pensive. Elsa could recognize the look of a person looking back.
"There was a battle." He eventually said.
"The same one that gave you the scar on your cheek?"
"No."
Not very informative, but it had an air of finality, and Elsa knew that she would get nothing else out of him.
"I hope you can tell me one day." Surprising even herself, she meant it. Chief Hiccup looked at her appraisingly, and Elsa met his gaze evenly.
"One day, maybe I will." He allowed, which was more than she had any right to expect.
The atmosphere had turned decidedly somber, and Elsa did not like that.
"It's your turn." She told him. He looked back up at her, mildly surprised.
"Excuse me?"
"It's your turn to ask me a question. It is only fair."
"I suppose ..."
"So, go ahead."
"How old are you?"
"That's it?" Elsa asked, looking at him sideways. "That's your question?"
"Yes it is."
"Fine, twenty one. How come you're traveling alone?"
"I'm not alone, I have Toothless. How come you're traveling all the way over here at all?"
Curse this man and his weaseling! She inwardly fumed. He'd made her waste a question. "I'm taking a walk, so to speak. The castle can get a bit stuffy at times. Why are you traveling so far away from your people?"
"For the same reason you're taking your strolls, I suppose. I need a break sometimes, and having a dragon means my strolls can take me pretty far away. Are you an only child?"
"I have a sister, two years younger. How long have you been gone from Berk?"
"A month already. Do you have a pet?"
"No I don't. I have a talking snowman, if he counts. How can you be away for so long? Doesn't Berk need you, as its chieftain?"
This time Haddock took his time in reply, taking his time to formulate it in his head, first. Elsa gave him his time, seeing as they had several days.
"I take care of everything before I leave, and I trust the people I leave in my stead to keep the peace until I am back. Can you help me orient myself, with a map or something similar? I'm afraid me and Toothless are quite lost."
"Certainly. We'll take care of that as soon as we get to the castle. What about your wife, then? Won't she get worried if you go gallivanting on your dragon for months?"
Chief Hiccup actually scowled, and Elsa froze. She cursed herself inwardly for her forwardness and nosiness. But it was so easy to forget that he was a chief, equal in status to her. He looked nothing like the various royals that visited her kingdom over the years from neighboring kingdoms. He was dressed like a warrior, he had a prosthetic foot, traveled alone and he rode a dragon. It was hard to treat him like she had treated everyone else, and her curiosity was driving her mad.
"No wife waiting at home, though plenty of people to worry." Chief Hiccup eventually said. Elsa flushed in embarrassment, cursing her lack of tact again and again.
"My apologies, Chief Hiccup. It's just that as a leader, it is usually expected to take a spouse and establish a line." Chief Hiccup tipped his head in acknowledgement of this.
"True, but this is not the case with me."
"Fair enough."
"What about you, then? Is there a King out there, worrying his beard off that his Queen might freeze to death?" Elsa took a few seconds to process this, and finally come to the conclusion that part of it was, in fact, a joke. Maybe? She resisted the urge to snap at him that this hypothetical King would not need to worry about her freezing. She had to try to be cordial.
"No, I am not wed."
"By choice, or lack of suitors?" This time, Elsa did not stop herself from glaring at him. His amused expression did nothing to ease her irritation. So she had not imagined it earlier, he really was mocking her appearance! This .. this ... viking!
"I'll have you know that kings, princes and people from all countries within travelling distance have asked for my hand. I simply have not decided yet."
"Well, I hope you pick carefully." He said, and his words may have been supportive, but his tone again had this slightly doubtful and mocking vibe.
She didn't offer any more questions, and he did not either. Eventually, when it became apparent that he would not ask anything else, she spoke.
"No more questions?"
He shook his head. "Not from me."
"I have to apologize once again for my conduct today." She forced herself to say. If she couldn't hold herself from being improper, she could at least apologize for it. "It has been most unbecoming from a person of my position, especially when directed at a person of your position."
At least it had the result of amusing Chief Hiccup, who let out a chuckle, and smiled. By now, Elsa had given up trying to guess his reactions to anything.
"Do not worry, please. I know of several people whose attitude would be many times improved by adopting your worst manner of conduct."
Had she just been compared to Vikings? She caught that thought, and admonished herself for it. A leader could not afford to judge like this. But still, she was not sure if she should take this as a compliment or not.
The silence stretched, and Elsa knew that their conversation was over. She was surprised when she noted the sun's position. Several hours had passed since they had started on the journey back to Arendelle.
They stopped for lunch, and they ate in silence, the cold and the harshness of the journey making everyone want to preserve their strength. Elsa saw the dragon, who had been following them from above, land on the nearby woods. Chief Hiccup excused himself and went to the woods to him. Elsa let him go, and an hour later, he came back, and they took off again.
This time, Chief Hiccup left her side at the head of the procession, and let himself fall back to its end. There, he exchanged occasional words with the soldiers in charge of the supply horses, but Elsa saw nothing of him for the remainder of the day.
When the sun was going down, she decided that it was time to make camp. Her entourage left the beaten path and headed for the trees, pulling out fabrics and setting up tents next to the woods.
Elsa looked skywards. Even now, the Night Fury was circling them, so high above that all she could see was a speck in the sky, but it was there. She led her horse towards Chief Hiccup as her soldiers set up their tents, with hers in the middle of camp, while others went in search of firewood. The Chief was looking at the working men with obvious interest.
"We will find you a tent, Chief Hiccup." She told him as she approached and stopped her horse next to his. "We always carry spare fabrics in case some get lost or torn."
"I appreciate the thought, but I won't need it."
"You carry your own tent?"
"Not exactly. I guess ... sort of. I could show you?" He offered, his voice unsure. Elsa was confused, but nevertheless nodded. At her nod, the Chief dismounted, and gave the reigns to the soldier waiting for them.
"Follow me." He said, waiting for her to dismount. She did so, with much more grace than he did, she noted inwardly, and her own horse was collected to be fed and watered.
"Where are we going?" She asked him as he started walking, entering the woods and weaving between the trees.
"We're looking for a decent sized clearing. Somewhere for Toothless to land."
Now, Elsa understood. "Come this way." She said briskly. She knew this side of the mountain quite well, and knew there was a clearing less than three minutes walk, eastward.
Chief Hiccup followed her without complaint, and sure enough, Elsa lead him to the clearing. The Chief inspected it carefully, and nodded, more to himself than to her. He looked up and squinted, spotting the black spot that was Toothless up in the sky. The sun had set, and the faint light was leaving, as well. Soon, it would be completely dark.
Chief Hiccup removed a leather glove, and brought his, now free, fingers to his mouth. A piercing whistle reverberated around the clearing, at first long but then cutting with a sharp note. Elsa could recognize a summons when she heard one. She looked up, and sure enough, the dark spot was approaching rapidly, growing bigger and bigger until she could make out the dragon's shape. It was free falling, its wings closed to its sides!
When it showed no signs of cuttings its fall, even when it had nearly reached the ground, she threw a worried glance at the Chief, but he seemed relaxed if a bit exasperated, so she stopped worrying. Clearly, the dragon had everything under control.
Indeed, the dragon opened its wings, catching the wind, and cut its fall. It still landed heavily, the ground shaking as he all but crashed onto it, but the dragon shook its head and bounded to Hiccup like nothing had happened.
Chief Hiccup released that deep, genuine laugh again, and laid his hand on the Night Fury's head. Dragon and rider closed their eyes, and Elsa had the awkward feeling that she was intruding in a very personal moment.
The moment was broken, and now the Chief was scratching the dragon's head and speaking softly to it.
"Did you hunt, bud? Have you eaten?"
The dragon warbled, and it seemed to be a satisfactory reply to the Chief, for he nodded. "Well," he said, "this is where we're crashing tonight, so get comfortable."
With a happy gargle, the dragon began pacing the clearing. When it passed by Elsa, she stiffened and got out of its way, but the beast paid her no mind, sniffing and padding the ground. To Elsa's fascination, the Night Fury plopped itself into the ground and curled its tail around itself, laying its head on its front paws like an overgrown cat. One of its wings settled on the ground next to him, but the other remained aloft.
"That's my que." Chief Hiccup said, and to Elsa's further astonishment, he settled himself on the dragon's side, with his hands behind his head and let out a soft, tired sigh.
"You sleep in your armor?" She couldn't help but ask. The Chief opened one lazy, green eye to look at her.
"It's a useful habit when traveling in the wild. We need to be ready for anything."
"Oh. I see."
"Was there anything else?" The Chief prodded lightly. Elsa bristled under the obvious dismissal, but reigned her temper, knowing that he was more tired than her, and it was time to rest.
"We will arrive in Arendelle the day after tomorrow." She informed him.
"Very well. Goodnight, Queen Elsa." With that final goodbye, the dragon's wing lowered, beginning to cover the Chief completely.
Elsa was about to turn to leave, but as she did so, something stopped her. "Chief Haddock." She called out, voice a little higher than she would have liked. "Hiccup." She called again, without realizing it. The wing stopped, and only the Chief's head was still visible. He was looking at her, askance.
"Thank you ... for sparing my life."
His eyes widened a little, but he gave her a serious nod, and Elsa inwardly sighed in relief. The wing covered the Chief, and she turned to leave. She didn't know what exactly led her to do this, but she was thankful that it happened.
Mindlessly, Elsa went about her routine, entering the tent that had been set up for her. She undressed, wore her nightgown, and after washing her face settled on the furs, to sleep.
Her sleep that night was restless. Her dreams were full of darkness and fire.
She was once again thrown on the ground, but the snow was black rather than white. The rider was on her once again, but this time the knife was pressing a little deeper, drawing a line of blood rather than a single drop. The rider himself was distorted, almost a caricature of his true self. He was talking, but his voice sounded very harsh to Elsa, and she couldn't understand what he was saying. The eye slits of his helmets were glowing a fiery red, and smoke was rising out of them.
She turned her head to look in the blackness to her left, and two pairs of demonic green eyes opened in the void. A maw of razor sharp teeth opened, and an unholy screeching filled the air. As the blue fireball headed towards her, Elsa finally found her voice, and screamed.
She woke up screaming, hands throwing the furs off of her, eyes looking around herself wildly. She was panting harshly, and perspiring heavily.
"My Queen, is everything alright?" Her captain called from outside the tent, reluctant to get inside to check. Elsa had enough presence of mind to reassure him that yes, everything was alright, and that yes, she would come out for breakfast soon.
She ate with her soldiers, but did not see him at breakfast. She assumed he had his own private breakfast with his dragon, as he must have for however long he's been travelling.
She was about to head into the woods to retrieve him, when she saw the shape of the dragon take flight from above the trees. So she waited and sure enough, Chief Hiccup burst from the foliage, a pleasant smile on his face. He must have found a nearby stream, for his hair was wet and clinging to his head. If he was feeling cold by being wet on the northern mountains, he didn't show it. Her mind's eyes supplied her with an image of him with fiery red, smoking eyes, and she repressed a shiver.
They exchanged pleasantries, and the procession mounted again. Like yesterday evening, he spent most of the day at the end of the entourage. The people he'd spoken with the day before had opened up a bit, and were now having an actual discussion, though Elsa did not know what they were talking so animatedly about. Stealing glances behind her every ten minutes, she couldn't help but feel jealous of these soldiers, with whom the Chief was talking so freely while she had to labor to coax every word out of him.
They stopped for lunch, and though the Viking chief ate with them, he left midway, no doubt to reunite with his dragon. He was back before everyone was ready to leave again, however. Elsa had given up hope of another discussion with him, and the Viking had surprised her once again when he rode faster and caught up with her. She suspected that him doing the opposite of what she expected was going to become a pattern.
He nodded at her in greeting, and the focused on the road ahead of him. He was a fast study, Elsa noted, in that he got used to the horse pretty quickly, but it still required concentration from him, when it was second nature to her.
They didn't speak, and Elsa respected his silence when he was busy taking in the environment around them. They were slowly but surely approaching the roots of the mountains. Soon, they would cross the hills surrounding Arendelle, and after that, it was a few hours' ride.
The sun was going down, they had no more that a couple hours light left to the day. Elsa's watching of Chief Hiccup bore interesting results. If he noticed her watching him, he didn't say anything, but Elsa would bet that he hadn't, because his neck was straining to take in everything around him. The sky had cleared from the blizzard of two days ago, and the beauty of the north mountain was visible to all.
"Is it not at all similar to Berk?" she asked him, after he had been staring at a faraway mountain peak for ten minutes straight. His head whipped to her, and his gloved fingers found the braid on his hair on what was clearly a habitual, if not nervous, move.
"Our mountains are much more ... rocky, I suppose. They steepen almost vertically, to the point where to climb them is nearly impossible."
"You travel a lot?" Elsa asked with interest. He didn't seem indifferent to his duty from what little she saw of him, so his wandering lifestyle, and the balancing act between it and his responsibilities, interested her greatly.
"Whenever I can." He nodded at her. "I love Berk, and I would do anything for it and my people, but traveling has always been my passion. It is only recently that I have been able to indulge, however."
"Your passion, huh?" He looked at her, and her smile must have puzzled him. His perplexed expression only made her smile wider.
"Mine and Toothless'. He does his best to not show it, but I can feel him get restless as the months pass and we stay always on the same place. He loves Berk, too, but it is in his nature to wander."
"How did you and Toothless end up ... friends?" She forced the word out of her mouth. She had seen enough evidence of their partnership, but it still seemed unbelievable to her.
"Long story." He tried to shake it off. Elsa raised an eyebrow, pointing to the empty, snowy road ahead of them.
"We've got time."
"Too long for the road," he insisted. Oh no, you're not getting away that easily.
"Make it short, then." He shot her a look between a glare and a warning, but nevertheless replied, after taking a minute to think of a proper reply.
"I shot him down." Elsa did not know what she was expecting, but this was certainly not it.
"What?"
"I created a machine to bring down dragons. You see, at the time, Toothless was the greatest menace of our tribe. I tested the prototype of my machine on him. It worked. That's when he lost his tailfin." He said, voice laden with sorrow over his friend's loss, even after what Elsa assumed was years. Despite herself, she found herself drawn into the tale.
"And then what happened?" She encouraged him.
"I let him go."
Was that some weird metaphor?
"You simply ... let him go? Even though, as you said, he was your village's number one enemy?"
His face darkened, but he nodded nevertheless.
"You weren't supposed to do that, were you?"
He shook his head. "No. Everyone else in my tribe would have killed him if they'd found him tied up in the woods."
"It makes sense. Why didn't you?"
Elsa realized that she must have crossed some line when he levelled a dark glare her way.
"Take care of what you say, Queen Elsa. It is that exact attitude that spared your life yesterday."
To that, Elsa had no reply. At least, none that she thought Chief Haddock would find satisfactory.
Instead, she looked ahead, in the distance between the white hills.
"Welcome, Chief Hiccup." She called, still looking ahead. The Chief followed her gaze, and only now did she steal a look at him. The look of utter awe on his face was worth all the harsh words until now.
In the distance between the hills, the city of Arendelle shone like a jewel under the evening sun. The bustling city, the sprawling castle, and the port filled to capacity with huge merchant ships and warships. It was still almost a full day's travel, but they could see it.
She extended her arms forwards, as an artist might present his latest masterpiece.
"To Arendelle."
~E~